Two swimmers taken to hospital after emergency services rush to Hartlepool's Seaton Carew Beach
Two swimmers have been taken to hospital after emergency services rushed to the coast on Friday afternoon.
One person is believed to have struggled in a riptide off Seaton Carew, in Hartlepool, at around 3.24pm.
Three people are then believed to have entered the North Sea to assist the first swimmer.
Hartlepool Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) volunteers were alerted by the Humber Coastguard.
An RNLI spokesperson said: “The inshore lifeboat Solihull launched at 3.36pm and was on scene within minutes to find that the swimmer and others had returned to the beach.
“But a shoreline search was carried out as a matter of course.
“Two of the people who had been in the water were taken to hospital along with a parent of one of the casualties.
“Hartlepool Coastguard Rescue team also attended the incident.”
North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) has been contacted for comment.